MYANMAR Humanitarian Update

26 November 2020

I. References

a. https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/myanmar-humanitarian-update-
no-1-26-november-2020
b. Ministry of Health & Sports Myanmar,
https://web.facebook.com/MinistryOfHealthAndSportsMyanmar
c.

II. Background

This humanitarian update, covering 1 and 26 November, is produced by

OCHA Myanmar in collaboration with Inter-Cluster Coordination Group and wider
humanitarian partners.

About 241,000 displaced people – of which 77 per cent are women and
children – remain in camps or camp-like situations in Kachin, Kayin, Shan and
Rakhine states. This includes approximately 92,000 people in Kachin, 15,000 in
Shan and 5,600 in Kayin who remain displaced as a result of the armed conflict.
It also includes about 129,000 people in Rakhine who were displaced as a result
of the violence in 2012. In addition, there are particularly vulnerable non-
displaced people, including the youth, elderly and disabled people who continue
to require special attention and/or support as a result of different factors
including, amongst others, armed conflict, statelessness, movement restrictions
and malnutrition.

To address these needs, combinations of different types of support may

be needed from a range of actors involved in humanitarian, development, human
rights and peace-building activities. This is particularly true in Rakhine State
where the situation has changed dramatically in the past year following the armed
attacks on police posts in northern Rakhine in August 2017 and subsequent
security operations. People from all communities have been affected, resulting in
complex needs which demand different responses. Humanitarian action is a vital
component of a comprehensive approach that is needed to address the short,
medium and long-term needs and human rights of vulnerable communities.

Source: https://www.unocha.org/myanmar/about-ocha-myanmar

III. Development

a. Covid19 World Situation

 Figure 1. Covid19 Situation in the World as of 26 November 2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported more than 59 million

Covid19 cases around the world and more than 1.4 million deaths last 26
November 2020.

b. Myanmar Situation Report

Figure 2: Myanmar Situation Report as of 26 November 2020

The Ministry of Health & Sports (MoHS) Myanmar records showed that out
of more than 1 million individuals tested, 83,566 were found positive of corona
virus and 1,810 died. About 76% had been discharged from the hospitals with
only 22% still active, either quarantined for mild symptoms in the facilities or
treated in hospitals for serious ones.
 Figure 3: Covid19 Cases by Region/State

Among the 17 regions of Myanmar, Yangon held the highest record of

more than 62 thousand with the largest number of fatalities as well. This was
followed by Mandalay and Bago with more than 4 thousand each. The two
regions with the lowest records were Shan and Kayah. Both regions had no
fatalities.

c. Displacement

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ongoing conflict between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and the Arakan
Army (AA) continues unabated. The human cost of the conflict is on the rise, with
at least six civilians injured and three killed by landmine explosion in Rakhine
State in November.

• Population movement remains fluid and over 105,000 civilians are currently
displaced due to the ongoing conflict in Rakhine and southern Chin – more than
94,000 of them are in 169 displacement sites in Rakhine, according the Rakhine
State Government.

• In northern Shan, around 300 internally displaced people (IDPs) living in camps
have returned to their places of origin since October and more than 1,500 more
IDPs plan on returning early 2021.
• The COVID-19 outbreak in the conflict-affected areas continues to impact the
delivery of humanitarian operations, especially in Rakhine, where a total of 3,480
cases have been confirmed since March 2020.

• Despite ongoing access constraints, humanitarian actors continue to provide

some humanitarian and COVID-19 assistance in camps, displacement sites and
villages.

• Only two thirds of the required funds for humanitarian operations under the
2020 Myanmar Humanitarian Response Plan have been received. Continued
donor support is needed more than ever to address the complex of needs across
all conflict-affected areas.

(Please see attachment, UNOCHA MYANMAR Humanitarian Update No. 1,

26 November 2020, for the detailed report)

d. Humanitarian and Covid-19 Response

Protection

Response

Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)

Gender-based violence (GBV) services
Case management
Sexual and reproductive health and rights,
Free legal services
Financial support

Gaps

Insufficient funding
Limited transportation of supplies
Unavailability of protective items in local markets
Constraints in communication
Movement restrictions

Water, Sanitation, Hygiene

Response

1,300 communal hand washing stations

73,530 hygiene items in protracted IDP camps
Cleaning campaigns in 13 IDP camps
Information, education and communication (IEC) materials
Waste bins and communal cleaning kits

Gaps

Insecurity in the conflict-affected areas reduced the distribution

 Education

Response

Home-based learning materials to children

Gaps

Closure of learning spaces

Limited access to home-based learning materials, especially in remote and
conflict-affected areas

Health

Response

Personal protective equipment (PPE), gloves, infrared thermometers, masks,

goggles, gowns, hand sanitizers and soap, chlorine and bleaching powders,
pamphlets and posters
Capacity building, psychosocial support, laboratory samples transportation,
referral of suspected cases and facilitated the operational costs of quarantine
centers
Medical supplies and equipment, capacity building and case management
Financial support for disease surveillance at points of entry/quarantine facilities

Gaps

Reduction in frequency of mobile clinics and routine services in operational areas

Delivery of medical supplies and equipment remains a challenge in Rakhine due
to the access conditions.

Shelter, Non-Food Items, Camp Coordination and Camp Management

(Cccm)

Response

Emergency shelter kits and non-food items (NFI) to over 2,670 people in six
displacement sites for housing materials
Remote monitoring
100 sets of NFI were distributed to 100 newly displaced families
Over 60 roofing materials to IDP households
Continued to engagement with government officials to clarify data discrepancies
in CCCM camp lists

Gaps

Limited access to displacement sites and administrative procedures in conducting

direct NFI distribution to beneficiaries
 Nutrition

Response

Distributed essential nutrition supplies and ready-to-use therapeutic food

Treatment acute malnutrition among children and pregnant
Preventive nutrition services lactating women with feeding and care counselling.

Gaps

Travel restrictions and quarantine regulations.

Food Security

Response

Over 500,700 people have received food assistance

Livelihood support has reached at least 66,800 people across the conflict-
affected areas

Gaps

Transportation constraints
Cash transfer programmes were delayed
Closure of banks during recent holidays

Logistics

Response

WFP arranged international relief flight between Kuala Lumpur-Vientiane-Yangon

Gaps

Complex bureaucratic processes and access restrictions hinder transporting relief

items
The use of waterway from Sittwe to northern parts of Rakhine is currently not
permitted.

(Please see attachment, UNOCHA MYANMAR Humanitarian Update No. 1,

26 November 2020, for the detailed report)

IV. Analysis

A range of issues arise where Covid19 outbreaks in contexts of conflict or

displacement: large numbers of people living in conditions with poor and uneven
coverage of health and basic services; limited access to camps and conflict-
affected areas; a proliferation of competing state and non-state groups, often with
disincentives to coordinate and cooperate; lack of trust and legitimacy between
vulnerable populations and those in power; the potential for excessive use of
force as part of disease control; opportunistic use of control strategies and
resources to extend power or claims; the potential for stigma and exacerbation of
communal divisions; and weaponization of disease response and relief.
All of the above-mentioned issues are constraints to humanitarian efforts
extended by the UN. The United Nations and its partners—including national and
international non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—are working with the
people of Myanmar to help build greater resilience in the face of humanitarian
crisis. As a trusted partner, the UN has delivered both developmental and
humanitarian assistance in Myanmar for decades.

Myanmar faces COVID-19 alongside serious humanitarian and health system

vulnerabilities. The country has a range of conflicts and non-state actors who
must be factored into a public health response. The COVID-19 control measures
in the country interplay between conflict, displacement and inter-communal
tensions. All health emergencies have social and political challenges, but
sensitive consideration and effective management of these is especially
important where there is past or ongoing conflict, and where trust in authorities
imposing disease control may be low.

IV. Assessment

As noted above, conflict continues to be the main driver of humanitarian needs in

Myanmar, with crisis-affected people in Kachin, northern Shan, Rakhine, Chin
and Kayin states exposed to significant protection risks which threaten their
dignity, physical and mental wellbeing. This is compounded by poor living
conditions and underdevelopment as well as limited livelihoods opportunities in
affected areas. The vast majority of people facing poor living standards and
resilience related problems are also, as a result of this, facing physical and
mental well-being problems.

Despite improvements in the security situation, humanitarian partners – national

and international – have been facing growing challenges in accessing affected
people, especially in areas controlled by EAOs. Access to areas within
government control has also significantly declined, with permissions for
international staff only granted to main towns. Humanitarian access constraints
continue to undermine the quantity, quality and sustainability of assistance and
services provided to IDPs and host communities, further exhausting their coping
mechanisms after their displacement. Access constraints have a serious impact
on the protection and welfare of vulnerable conflict-affected people. This includes
women, children and persons with disabilities who are at increased risk of gender
based violence, trafficking and other protection concerns.

The humanitarian situation remains dire. The deepening crisis has resulted in
increased vulnerability for all communities, but most critically for stateless
Rohingya. Considering the scale of the protection crisis in Rakhine State,
Government leadership is a key in creating conducive conditions for voluntary
return.